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Chinese Government Confirms Space Launch

Posted on: Thursday, 9 October 2003, 06:00 CDT

By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN

BEIJING (AP) -- Setting its sights on the stars, the Chinese government confirmed Friday that it would attempt its first manned space launch next week.

The spacecraft, the Shenzhou 5, will orbit the Earth 14 times before landing, the official Xinhua News Agency said. The launch is scheduled for sometime between Oct. 15 and 17, it said, citing the country's space agency.

The launch would make China the third country to put a human being into space. The former Soviet Union put Yuri Gagarin into space in 1961; the United States sent Alan B. Shepard Jr. up less than a month later.

"Now all preparatory work for the launch is progressing smoothly," Xinhua quoted an unnamed space-program official as saying.

The government has not announced the identity of the space traveler, and the Xinhua dispatches did not specify how many astronauts, or "taikonauts," the craft would contain.

Xinhua said the Shenzhou 5 would fly an elliptical orbit, then shift to a circular orbit at an altitude of 213 miles.

All would-be taikonauts - an English nickname based on the Chinese word for space, "taikong" - have passed "a comprehensive drill," Xinhua said.

The launch is scheduled to take place shortly after a major annual Communist Party meeting concludes Tuesday, suggesting an attempt to link the party's leadership to the launch.

The first Chinese in orbit is certain to become a hero at home; China's space program has long been a closely guarded secret but also a vehicle for patriotism.

The English-language China Daily newspaper said a field of 14 trainees has been narrowed. While the three candidates have been ranked in order of preference, outside factors could still affect the final choice.

On Friday, the popular Sina.com Web site reported that handguns, knives and other "defensive weapons" will be stored aboard the capsule as a precaution against animals if the capsule lands in a dangerous area.

Astronauts "will be able to deal with wild beasts, sharks and other dangerous animals or enemies," it reported.

State media have reported the Shenzhou 5 capsule will blast into space aboard a Long March CZ-2 rocket from the Gobi Desert launch base at Jiuquan in western China. Media have heaped praise on the expected event as a sign of China's growing strength and modernity and while public interest is difficult to gauge, it seems that interest is growing.

Sina.com said the craft would blast off during daylight and would return to earth by 6 p.m. Thursday, using its enormous parachutes to set down on the plains of Inner Mongolia.

The astronauts have been described as experienced fighter pilots, about 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighing about 140 pounds.

Men admire replicas of Chinese rockets at a museum. Credit: AP

Artist's rendition of the Shenzhou spacecraft. Credit: Xinhua

China Daily said they include 12 trainees and two instructors, all of whom have had a minimum of six years of special training.

In recent years, China has launched four unmanned missions as preparation for taking a human aboard the Shenzhou 5, whose name means "Divine Vessel."

With space fever rising, one newspaper in southwestern China is asking readers for suggestions on what the first Chinese astronaut in space should say. The Chengdu Business News said it would pick the 10 best entries and send the contestants to the Jiuquan Launch Center in the northwestern province of Gansu to witness the launch.

It was impossible to verify the promised prize, but it seemed unlikely the government would allow 10 readers chosen by a provincial newspaper to attend the launch of a military-linked space capsule.

Emphasizing the space program's strong ties to the military, army music and dance teams are producing a music video entitled "Soaring" to commemorate Shenzhou's launch, the Communist Party's official People's Daily reported.

"'Soaring' will act out the romantic feelings and pioneering spirit of the 1,000-year quest of the sons and daughters of China," said a brief article beside a picture of an actress in a shiny, form-fitting body suit with the Chinese flag emblazoned on her chest.

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